Alarm clock with automatically-lighted lamp



0. LAMACCHIA ALARM CLOCK WITH AUTOMATICALLY LIGHTED LAMP Aug. 28, 1923.

Filed May 17. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwvmd 01s 0350 Lamacc/z ia Aug. 28, 1923.

, 1,466,023 0. LAMACCHIA ALARM CLOCK WITH AUTOMATICALLY LIGHTED LAMP Filed May 17. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 imp 0230 Z1 amaoo/z 1 a 2ar, attorney]? citizen of the United States, residing Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

OTTO LAKAGCHIA, I O1 BBIDGFPOB'I, CONNECTICUT.

41.4mm oLocx WITH AuronnoALLir-Lmn'rnn m1.

Application filed Kay 17,. 1922. Serial No. 561,665.

T 0 all wlwm'z't may concern:

Be it known that I, O'rro LAMACOHIA, a at Bridgeport, in the'county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm Clocks with Automatically-Lighted Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an alarm clock with which an electric lamp is connected in such a manner that the lamp will be automatically lit the moment the alarm goes off,

or, in other words, that the burning of the lamp is regulated by the setting of the alarm on the clock.

One object of the invention 1s to provide a device that may be attached to any *attached thereto and inc uding my device;

'Figiire 2 is a top view of the device ready to be inserted in the clock;

Fi re 3 is a front view of the clock with the dial removed and the device inserted in position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the device detached;

Fi ure 5 is an axial section on line 5-5 of igure 3 of the alarm starter of the usual construction found in alarm clocks;

Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line (1-6 of Figure 3; r

Figure 7 is another transverse section on the line 7--7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a terminal for an electric conduit of the usual construction.

The reference numeral 10 denotes the casing of an alarm clock to which the socket 11 of an electric bulb 12 is attached. This socket is furnished with the usual pull chain 13 for lighting the lamp.

In Figure 5 is shown the starter for the alarm including a spindle 14 provided with a tooth 15 at one end riding on the cam washer 16 which is held in contact therewith by means of a spring 17 secured in the frame of the clock, as at 19, tending to press a construction is the usual one in alarm clocks and 1s, therefore, not claimed aspart of this invention. However, the starter co-operates w1th the device forming the subject-matter of thls invention to close an electric contact, as will be more fully described later on.

In Figures 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 is shown the device as constructed to be attached to any alarm clock and comprising a carrier 20, preferably made of metal plate and adapted to be secured on the frame of the clock, as at 21. To this carrier I attach two insulating blocks 22 and 23 upon which the terminals 24, 25 of a pair of conductors 26 and 27 are secured. bridging member 28consisting of a metallic spring is secured on one of the blocks 22, with the terminal 24 and normally lifted from the other terminal 25, thereb breaking the circuit of the lamp of whic the conductors 26 and 27 'are a part.

A two-armed lever 29 is fulcrumed, as at 30, on the carrier, the short arm 31 of which extends above the free end of the bridging member 28 with which it is adapted to engage through the intermediary of a small insulation 32 secured on the arm 31. The long arm 33 extends in the opposite direction and is adaptedto engage with the free end 34 of the starter spring 17. It will thus be understood that, when the cam washer 16 has turned to, present its lowermost edge toward the tooth 15 on the spindle 14, the washer 16, together with the wheel 18, will snap forward to start the alarm and actuated by the spring 17, the end 34 of which simultaneously presses the long arm 33 of the lever 29 upward, depressing its short arm 31 to close the contact between the bridging member 28 and the terminal 25.

At one end of the carrier 20 is journaled a hand lever 35. as at 36. The long arm of the hand lever 35 projects through a slit 37 provided in the casing 10 of the clock and this slit has a depression 38 at one end to engage with the lever 35 to hold it in connected position when thrown to the left, as seen in Figure 1. The other end of the lever 35 has a hook 39 normally standing free of the short arm 31 of the lever 29 and slightly above the same so that upon swinging the lever 35 in the left-hand direction,

31 depressing the same when the. latter in turn engages with the free end of the brldgin member 28 to close the cont-act.

heoperation of the device is as follows: When the starter has been set for a certaln hour to operate the alarm by turning the spindle 14, the circuit will be open between the terminals 24 and 25. The pull chain 13, however, should turn the switch in the socket 11 into position for lighting the bulb 12. As, however, at this time, there is a gap in the circuit between the terminals 24 and 25, the lamp will not burn. When the cog wheel 18 has turned to present the deep notch in the cam washer 16 opposite the finger 15, the spring 17 will push the cam washer as well as the cog wheel 18 forward to start the alarm. At the same time the free end 34 of the starter spring 17 swings outwardly, thereby raising the long arm 33 of the lever 29 simultaneously depressing the short arm thereof and thereby closing the circuit by depressing the bridging member 28 to contact with the terminal 25. As in this manner the circuit of the lamp will be closed, the bulb 12 will immediately start to glow and will continue to do so until put out by a pull on the chain 13 or by the clock after an hour or longer according to the size of the slot on the cam 16.

In case the lamp is desired to burn without setting off the alarm, this can be accomplished by pulling the chain 13 to turn the switch in the socket 11 as for lighting the lamp, while the lever 35 is pushed into the notch 38 in the casing 10 which, as a consequence, with the book 39 depresses the short arm 21 of the lever 29 to compel the bridging member 28 to close the contact at the terminal 25 when the lamp will again be lit and may be used as a reading lamp. To put it out, the lever 35 may be turned into the right-hand position, as in Figure 1, or the chain 13 may be pulled to put the switch into non-burning position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a device of the class described includ ing an alarm clock having a spring actuating alarm starter; a carrier adapted to be secured on the clock, a pair of spaced insulating blocks on said carrier, a pole on each of said blocks situated in a lamp circuit, a flexible conductor attached to one of said poles and normally out of contact with said other pole, a lever fulcrumed on said carrier having a short arm engaging with said flexible conductor and a long arm engaging with said starter spring and adapted to close the contact actuated by said starter spring, and

hand lever journaled on said carrier adapted to engage said short arm and to close the contact independent of said starter spring.

In testimony whereof I afiix OTTU L my signature.

AMACCHIA. [1 a] 

